The Complete Minnesota Timberwolves Las Vegas Summer League Guide

When the Minnesota Timberwolves made the trade for Rudy Gobert that included Walker Kessler, four future first-round picks, and a pick swap, we all assumed the days of investing a lot of time in the Summer League were in the rearview mirror. Sure, most of us enjoyed the flashes we got to see the last couple of years from Josh Minott and Leonard Miller showing off their skills and pure athleticism, but it was a far cry from the excitement of old when the Wolves were consistently at the top of the draft and enjoying our blue-chip prospects who would supposedly help guide the franchise back to relevance (which is funny as Anthony Edwards, who most of us would say has played the biggest role in doing this, never played in the Summer League because of COVID). While it rarely panned out that way in the past, this year it seems like there is a bit of extra juice surrounding the team, which could prove to be the most exciting roster in recent memory.

Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

The Wolves are obviously coming off a historic year where they had arguably their best season and went to their first Conference Finals in 20 years. It was electrifying for everyone as we were all starving for a team that was as good as this one. After falling a bit short last year and seeing the shortcomings of the roster, Minnesota headed into the offseason with some question marks and not a lot of ways to answer those questions with the new salary cap restrictions in place and the Timberwolves far into the second apron, which limits their ability to construct their roster through free agency. The front office was adamant about keeping their core together, so they turned to the one place they could get an infusion of talent while keeping the main part of their roster intact: the draft.

Tim Connelly swung a trade with the San Antonio Spurs for a top-1 protected first-round pick in 2031 to acquire Rob Dillingham and then used the 27th overall pick to select Terrence Shannon Jr. That is one way to add a lot of cheaper talent very quickly. They also added UDFA Jesse Edwards on a two-way contract after the draft.

That, coupled with the return of Jaylen Clark from an injured Achilles and Leonard Miller and Josh Minott returning to the team for another year, and you have six guys who will be on the NBA roster in some capacity (Clark on a two-way and the rest on guaranteed NBA deals) and playing in the Las Vegas Summer League.

Wolves Summer League roster. First game Friday 7/12 vs. NOP at 4pm CT. pic.twitter.com/ES8EYRFcEM

— Alan Horton (@WolvesRadio) July 7, 2024

Schedule

The following is the Minnesota @Timberwolves 2024 NBA Summer League Schedule:

Fri. 7/12 vs. New Orleans at 4 pm CT on ESPN2
Sun. 7/14 vs. Indiana at 4:30 pm CT on NBATV
Tue. 7/16 vs. Philadelphia at 7 pm CT on ESPN2
Thu. 7/18 vs. Houston at 10 pm CT on ESPN

— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) June 28, 2024

The Wolves tip off Summer League on Friday at 4 pm CT and play every other day from then on. Every team in the Las Vegas Summer League plays four games, and the best four teams from those games advance to the playoffs that start on July 21st. The Timberwolves have been the runner-up twice in the Vegas Summer League, in 2016 and 2019, and have had two MVPs from their rosters: Randy Foye in 2006 and Tyus Jones in 2016. You can catch these games on ESPN/ESPN2/NBATV.

Who to Watch For

Rob Dillingham:

The Kentucky product ended up being the eighth overall selection in the draft and was traded to the Timberwolves on draft night. The 6’1” guard averaged 15.2 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game to go with 47.8/44.4/79.6 shooting splits during his lone year at Kentucky. Tim Connelly has already spoken very highly of him and claimed that he will be in the NBA rotation this season, so this is the first chance we get to see him against NBA talent. While Rob may be undersized, he is as quick as can be, has a great handle, can shoot the leather off the ball and is just a flat-out bucket. He is an electric player who if you take just a few minutes of your time to go watch his highlights you will be salivating over his potential.

Look for Dillingham to have the ball in his hands a lot during this Summer League. The Timberwolves drafted him to be a scoring point guard and they will start his development now to help him along more quickly. While there will be some growing pains, especially with a 19-year-old being put in this position, his ability to play hard and score the basketball will have you feeling confident in his ability to contribute right away. Looking at where the Wolves fell short, having him as a secondary playmaker will be huge in forcing the defense to stay honest and not stack up against Anthony Edwards. Dillingham’s scoring ability will do just that while also allowing him to get some buckets on his own.Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Terrence Shannon Jr.

Shannon was selected 27th overall in this year’s draft as the Wolves doubled down on players who could get to the basket and finish. Terrence was a five-year college starter for both Texas Tech and Illinois. In the 23-24 season, he averaged 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists for an Illinois team that made the Elite Eight. Shannon was a force to be reckoned with when he got downhill to the rim. The lefty is a great finisher and has some zip to the basket which is another thing that is helpful for what the Wolves need. Shannon is also 6’6” and 210 pounds, and showed flashes of his defensive ability in college. A wing who can defend and get to the basket can add a whole new dimension to this Wolves roster.

Dillingham and Shannon were both drafted to address one of the biggest issues on the Wolves last year: secondary scorers. Ant faced loaded defenses so much especially in the playoffs that it was tough for the Wolves offense to find ways to score and get in a rhythm on that end of the floor. In the Summer League, look for Shannon to find his opportunities to attack, especially in transition, and potentially take some of the bigger wing assignments during the Wolves’ stretch of games. Terrence is speedy and great at getting out and running the floor, something that should be very fun in Summer League play.

Here's one of the many upcoming Terrence Shannon Jr. posters at Target Center: pic.twitter.com/f22H71YoFH

— Charlie Walton (@CharlieWaltonMN) July 2, 2024

Jaylen Clark

The redshirt rookie from UCLA was selected 53rd overall in the 2023 draft after averaging 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in his junior season. While Clark was initially drafted last season, this will be his first Summer League and game action with the Wolves as he has spent the last year and change rehabbing from a torn Achilles he suffered on March 4th, 2023, the last game of the regular season for UCLA. Tim Connelly had said when he was drafted last year that the Wolves had a first-round grade on him as a prospect and were thrilled to take a shot on Clark, who fell in the draft because of his injury. He joins the influx of rookie talent boasted by the likes of Terrence Shannon Jr. and Rob Dillingham.

As the Wolves start their summer league run, look for Jaylen Clark’s defensive prowess to shine as he will most likely get the toughest assignments for most guards and wings. Clark was the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 and is a superb point of attack defender. His scouting report raves of his defensive ability and intensity while he also is 6’4” with a 6’9” wingspan. The comparisons that I had seen on the defensive end had him as a disruptor akin to Jose Alvarado. Also, be on the lookout for his shot mechanics and if those have become more fluid since joining the NBA. The shot improved every year in college and he got up to 33% from beyond the arc in his final year but there is no guarantee that it will translate to professional play. The jump shot is usually the thing that holds these types of defensive players back in the NBA, so it will be interesting to see how he has been working on it since joining the Timberwolves.

(A slight hitch and not the prettiest but not terrible)

(Clark averaged 2.6 steals per game his final season at UCLA)

Leonard Miller

The Timberwolves traded up to draft the G-League Ignite prospect 33rd overall in the 2023 draft, and he spent the majority of last season with the Iowa Wolves. Miller averaged 20.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in Iowa last season and is an intriguing prospect at 20 years old. Minnesota has always been high on Miller, giving up one of their limited assets to draft him last season and working hard on his development as he spent the season in Iowa. Leonard is a strong, broad-shouldered lefty who is a great rebounder and has shown some flashes of playmaking and scoring abilities. Before the acquisition of Dillingham, he was the player considered by most to have the most intriguing upside out of all of the Minnesota young guys.

In the Summer League, look for Miller to dominate the glass and use his strength and athleticism to score some baskets in the paint. Similarly to Jaylen Clark, also watch for the shot mechanics that have changed for him since he came into the league. He did shoot 37.8% from three on 5.6 attempts last season with Iowa and a clip surfaced of him practicing with Team Canada as they prep for the Olympics and the shot looks much improved from when we first saw him play in the Summer League last season.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Leonard Miller shooting around after Canada basketball training camp.

Head coach Jordi Fernandez says he’s still unsure if he’ll be around the team or playing Summer League.

Seems like it’ll be Minnesota’s decision. pic.twitter.com/jOdjyW0csD

— Libaan Osman (@libaanstar1) June 30, 2024

Josh Minott

The Lawn Mower. Minott first surfaced as a second-round pick in 2022 after showing off his crazy athleticism at Memphis. He is an irritant and has an endless motor (hence the nickname). Positionally, Minott is the obvious candidate to fill the hole left by Kyle Anderson’s departure, but it will depend on his shooting if he is able to slide into more of a small forward role on the wing for the Wolves. Minott has not played tons of basketball overall the last few years, as he only averaged 14.6 minutes per game at Memphis, played in Iowa sporadically, and only logged minutes in blowouts the last couple of years for the Timberwolves. Because of this, he is hungry for an opportunity and will try to prove himself on the Las Vegas training grounds.

In the Summer League games, look for Minott to assert himself in a variety of ways with his energy. He will defend hard, go for offensive rebounds and use his athleticism to finish above the rim. As one of the veterans as far as summer league goes, Minott has been through this process before and is itching for his chance on the NBA team.Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Quick Hitters:

• Daishen Nix is back and playing on the Wolves’ summer league roster, more pointing for the hopeful electric dunks and a solid look at his point guard abilities.
• From the Netherlands via West Virginia, new two-way contract signee and UDFA Jesse Edwards will look to make his mark on the big man room as a good rebounder and lob finisher.
• Iowa Wolves familiar faces: Javonte Cooke, Nojel Eastern, Gabe Kalscheur and Kok Yat all make an appearance on this year’s summer league roster.
• 2024 UDFA’s James Bishop IV, Jadon LeDee and Lakeville, Minnesota native Tyler Wahl get their first taste of professional basketball.
• Guards Joe Wiescamp (former Iowa guard) and Nadir Hifi (professional French player) round out the roster.Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

It should be a great Summer League for the Wolves and one that fans should be keeping an eye on. They will be fun to watch and one of the more talented rosters Minnesota has had in recent memory. On top of this, with the departures of a lot of the veterans in the offseason (Kyle Anderson, Monte Morris, and Jordan McLaughlin to name a few), there are a lot of roles up for grabs on the NBA roster. Some of the guys you see playing this summer could very well be in the rotation come October and this is the first chance to take a look at all of them. The Timberwolves kick off their summer league on Friday, July 12th at 4pm CT against the New Orleans Pelicans. You can watch that game on ESPN2.